Back again
by BeccaLayton
Summary: Makoto had given up the ninja life but now returns to Konoha to go on a mission with a certain team 7 ;D She definetly didn't expect things turning out as they now eventually have !
1. Chapter 1

Makoto took a long, deep breath and let the air slowly escape in a quite useless attempt to relax herself. This was ridiculous, why was she so nervous and jittery? Argh, this wasn't okay, not okay at all- especially for a kunoichi! Well, a retired one, but still! She had been a defender of Konoha, a preserver of peace and stability, a warrior. She grinned at her thoughts. That, she had to admit, sounded pretty neat. She had made it to Chunin level, she knew that it wasn't the highest rank but she was quite proud of it, since it was rather apparent that she hadn't been born to be a ninja. She was of a small frame and now, more than ever, lacking in the fitness-department. Also hurting people, that was another thing that had made her stop and travel the world…

Oh no, she had to stop thinking about that, it would only make her nervousness worse! Alright, she had to focus on something she liked, she liked Gen-jutsu, she had been good at that. Yes, that was her strong point. Gen-jutsu. She smiled reassuringly to somehow comfort herself. Gen-jutsu! It was actually working! Her body seemed to lose a bit of that tension.

Tomorrow was going to be her first mission in four years after she had put down her activity as a ninja and she was surely going to enjoy it! "That's the spirit!", she told herself and clenched her fists. A sudden wave of enthusiasm overcame her and nearly took away her breath as she seemed to drown in it, heart beating fast in her chest. She had forgotten this feeling, she had missed it, mindless joy, stupidity really, but in this moment she didn't care and let herself fall backwards onto her sofa. There she lay staring at the ceiling over her which was plastered it photographs and pictures she had collected on her journeys. Those were pretty much why the Hokage Lady Tsunade had summoned her back to Konoha- to help with a mission. She was merely an advisor in this case. Makoto had a rather wide knowledge about history and a certain artefact that seemed to interest Tsunade quite a bit- a bracelet that would grant the one wearing to store unlimited chakra and then later use it. That could be a useful asset to Konoha's ninja forces or could be sold for a good amount of money but it had disappeared centuries ago and people came to believe that it was just a myth- but it wasn't, she was sure of it, especially because she had found a map. Yes, a map, and it was real! After travelling for years all alone tomorrow she would meet people again, and not only that, she would have to accompany them for days! That's where her main problem lay but she pushed it away as she felt how that jumpy feeling again took over her stomach. She wasn't good at stuff like that… Oh, she should make herself a tea, a nice hot cup of soothingness! That was what she needed right know and tomorrow she would get up early and would have tons fun! It couldn't be all to bad!

It had been a weird feeling to sleep in her small apartment in Konoha again , nothing had been changed in the years she hadn't been here, at least furniture wise, but it didn't seem homely really. Makoto had awoken in the early hours of the day, way before the time they had arranged. It was six currently so she had three hours left. She was incredibly tired, but she wouldn't be able to fall asleep again, so she stood up, showered, packed her bag and put on her everyday dress. This wouldn't be an incredibly dangerous mission so ninja clothing wasn't really called for. Pffff, Tsunade would probably only spend the bracelet on her gambling or something. But Makoto could not possibly let this opportunity slip: Searching for the mysterious artifact with some experienced ninjas at her side. Awesome! They would probably walk a lot, she was used to that, so she needed her trusty pair of sandals. Where were they? There. Shoes-check. Oh, breakfast, right. Let's eat something! Makoto wasn't really hungry but she forced in some bread and drank some of the leftover tea from yesterday night. Now it was seven, two hours still. She sighed. She wasn't one for time schedules, too much pressure, annoying. So she had time to look at the map again, safely stored in her bag. She had studied it so many times before that she probably could have led the ninja to the place by heart. The lines- all so familiar, how the dark ink slightly thickened at certain spots, where the pen had been forced onto the yellow, brittle but through some kind of spell, really well preserved paper. The faint colors that indicated the woods and the sea and the sand and mountains… and then it happened: she had fallen asleep again.

Annotation: Hey, this is my first ever attampt at doing something like this. If you have any advise, I'd lovee too hear it! Hope you kind of liked this first chapter :D


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

She woke up with a pretty annoying pain in her neck and shoulders. This certainly hadn't been a relaxing nap. Leaning on her wooden table, head on the plate, arms uncomfortably twisted. Her cheek seemed to be kind of stuck to the porcelain under her. With a harsh movement she straightened herself up and rolled her shoulders. Argh, cramp! For a second she tried to stay in this awkward position until the pain would have resided, but then her eyes met the kitchen clock and her heart skipped a beat. No! Oh my, well… that had been STUPID! 8:55. Five minutes left. She cursed herself and her stupid naps. She shot up and grabbed her bag, stuffed the map inside, threw over her jacket and left her apartment as fast as she could. NOO! Her keys! But alright, she would have to worry about those later. What was important now was to not be late for her first mission. She jumped down the hallway, taking two or three steps of the stairs at a time. Well, this was fun! It would be even more fun if she would not feel like she had to throw up though, but whatever. She had reached the end and opened the door to the street. She seemed to run into a wall of warm air but she sprinted right through it. Makoto lived quite close to the gates. Maybe she could make it in five minutes? And one or two too late wouldn't be too bad either, she told herself while her legs already started to slow down slightly. Then she saw the market area and the masses of people blocking the streets and her heart sank. How would she possibly get through that?! She looked to the sides, where the houses were standing. Should she try? Yes, she would. She would get to the gates NINJA STYLE. She hadn't tried out for years but now was the time! She scanned the place to find a way to get onto the roofs. There: a rainwater downpipe. Perfect. She took a run-up and jumped as high as she could, hands reaching for the pipe. She grabbed it and tried to pull herself up. Nope, not working. Other idea: pushing. That was easier. She pushed herself with her legs up and slowly but steadily she got higher and higher until her hands touched the tiles. Success! Of sorts! She must look ridiculous, but this wasn't the time to think about a profanity like that. This was the time to do her best. She pulled herself onto the roof, her forearms were there already, now only… only, the rest of her body… she could do that. "Do you need any help?", a male voice over her asked? It had a slightly amused tone to it and she could feel her face heat up. As if it wasn't warm enough already! "Umm… No, I'm fine, just… a bit of training", she answered as casually as she could. She was happy her long hair covered her red face and she made sure to only focus on the warm tiles below her. She would not look up! If only that person would already go away! She could do this by herself and it would make all of this a little bit less embarrassing. Her muscles were shaking like crazy, she should have chosen less to take with her to this trip. Her bag must weigh tons!

"Are you sure? I could give you a hand", the voice said again. But Makoto shook her head vigorously. "No, thank you, but I appreciate your kindness, sir!" A second passed and she heard a sound that indicated the man had gone off. Like a real ninja, not like her. With her last power she pulled herself fully onto the roof and rolled herself onto her back. Deep breath, everything is okay! She wiped her hair out of her face and took in as much fresh air as possible. Then she stood up again. The man was gone… hmm, he had had a nice voice, she thought to herself and smiled. But then she remembered why she had gone through this hardship and ran. She had not forgotten how to do this: just focus a bit of chakra in your feet when reaching the ground after jumping. You will cling to it, all perfect. The air when she was moving fast was nice and cooling and soon she could see the gates and four people standing before them. Those must be the ninja. The well known team seven. She had heard of them. All really strong, and then there was this thing with the Sasuke guy. She sighed. She had no right to say something about him, she didn't know him. OH! Something clicked inside her brain. There were four people standing there! She was really late! She hurried faster. Oh man, imagine she'd trip now. Those elite ninja would probably see her and then… Her face heated up again and for safety reasons she better looked at her feet as she jumped along. Then the roofs ended and she had reached that clearing before the gates. She landed on the street- quite safely as she thought- and approached the four ninja. Aaaa, nervous! She didn't look at their faces and as she reached them she quickly bowed in a rapid, nearly 90 degree motion. "I apologize for my inexcusable lateness! Still, I am delighted to make your acquaintance!" Was this too much? That was how she had learned it and it was easier blurting out old phrases by her teacher still stuck somewhere in her brain than making up something herself. She waited, heart thundering in her ears. "It's alright", a girl said in a friendly tone. Makoto peered up. There was a girl in the group, oh yes, she had forgotten: Haruno Sakura! She was so pretty with her hair perfectly fitting her name. "I am Sakura, those are Sai", she pointed to a smiling boy with pitch black hair and white skin and, oh! She could see his stomach! Makoto quickly looked back up. "Nice to meet you, Sai!", she said. The boy only answered with "Yes, likewise", and kept smiling. "And this is Naruto", Sakura continued and her voice seemed to tense as she looked at the blond, grinning guy. "Hey", Naruto said. "Why did you bow, that looked funny! Do you always greet people like that, because-"

"Stop it, Naruto", Sakura spat and gave the guy a dirty look. "And this is captain Yamato" The man next to Naruto nodded. "Nice to meet you". Oops, she knew that voice. Oh no, yes, she was pretty sure! He was the man who offered to help her when she was dangling from the pipe! She swallowed thickly and hoped he hadn't recognized her. Calm, she told herself, don't let your face turn red again! "I am Watanabe Makoto", she introduced herself a bit too quickly. "I have the map!", she added. "And I am a historian" Makoto struggled with opening her bag to prove to them that she was the advisor on the mission but her hands were shaking slightly. Embarrassing! "We believe you, Makoto!", Naruto said a little confused, then he laughed. "You remind me of someone, you know!" HA! She had finally reached the map. She pulled it out and held it up. When her fingers touched the paper the lines began to reappear as they always did when a Watanabe touched it. "We have to get to the borders of Suna, then-"

"Let's do this!", Naruto shouted enthusiastically, turning to run off. "We will rock this… this…". He stopped and turned around again. "What are we looking for?", he asked.

"Naruto, as Tsunade and the I have told you, we are searching for the Watanabe bracelet. How can a person forget everything so easily? Don't you ever listen?", Sakura answered annoyed, emphasizing every word. Huh, were they always like this? Makoto had to smile. This was actually really cute.

"Let's get going now", the captain sad sternly. "We don't want to waste much time. If we hurry we can be there in a day."


End file.
